Skye
by DreamsOfATeenager
Summary: Gerard Way has to spend every summer with a girl called Skye, who usually makes his summers a living hell. That is, until they're 18, and Skye seems like a completely different person. My Chemical Romance Fic. Rated M for violence, launguage and sex.
1. Summertime

_**HELLO AND WELCOME TO MY NEW STORY! :D**_

_**So, it's another My Chemical Romance story, obviously. I hope you'll enjoy it. It's going to be a multi-chapter story, which I'll update on as often as I can. To all those who have subscribed to my authors alerts, story alerts and what-not, this is my way of saying thank you, and THIS is your Christmas present, considering it is CHRISTMAS DAY, 2011! WOO!**_

_**DISCLAIMER - I DO NOT OWN MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, OR ANY OF THE CELEBRITIES USED IN THIS STORY, NOR DO I OWN THEIR LYRICS. I SIMPLY OWN THE FICTIONAL CHARACTER AND THE PLOT, WHICH IS OF COURSE, MADE UP ENTIRELY!**_

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><p>Chapter 1 – Summertime<p>

I genuinely hate summer. I never used to. The whole loathing-summer thing started when I was eight, because _she_ started to visit. Skye Jenkins. The cheerleader bitch from hell, who made me dread summer.

But hold the fuck up! You have no idea who I am. My name is Gerard Way. I was eight when I first met Skye. Her mom and my mom went to school together, so we took turns staying at each other's homes for the entire summer holidays. My younger brother, Mikey, didn't particularly like Skye either, although the main focus of her evil was usually me.

She did to me though. Every summer, she'd find a new way to upset me, humiliate me, infuriate me, or get me into trouble. I'm eighteen now, and have been made victim on nine separate occasions, and I was waiting for what she was planning this summer.

Oh, you want to know what she's done? Well…

1985 – 8 Years Old: This was the first time I met Skye. Mikey and I were building a little bat-mobile model with a kit our Dad had bought us. It was fucking awesome, and it was our summer project. What did she do? She fucking burnt it. Little bitch…

1986 – 9 Years Old: I hate talking about this one so I'll keep it short. She pulled my pants and underwear down in front of a lot of my 'friends'. Those 'friends' are now jocks that have a tendency to pound my miserable ass at any given chance. Fantastic.

1987 – 10 Years Old: Mikey and I were playing football in the back yard, and Skye thought it would be funny to steal our ball, and throw it through the kitchen window. She told my mum it was me, and I was grounded for the entire summer.

1988 – 11 Years Old: I had just started listening to music. Iron Maiden, Smashing Pumpkins, Morrissey and the Smiths; that kind of thing. Skye had decided to apologise for everything she had done in the past, Of course she was lying, but I didn't know that. She seemed so sincere… But after showing an interest in my music, she asked to borrow my tapes. Me being naïve let her, and she trashed every one of them.

1989 – 12 Years Old: This summer, my Uncle Jack was getting married. He wanted me to be the ring bearer, and Mikey to be the usher. The morning of the wedding, my suit was found at the bottom of the yard, torn and muddy. No prize for guessing who did it, but sweet, innocent little Skye would never do such a thing to me, would she? At least, that's what everyone but Mikey thought…

1990 – 13 Years Old: Walking back form the movie theatre at about nine-ish, after seeing a zombie movie with my best friend, Frank, we were stopped by Skye, her 'girlfriends' or minions, or whatever you call them, and a group of four jocks. The jocks looked about 15, and one of them had his arm around Skye's waist.

"That's him, and his puny little friend," she said, before the group of jocks descended on us, and beat us to a pulp. _Both_ of us. And we were both completely innocent. I felt bad for Frank rather than myself.

1991 – 14 Years Old: This summer I begged my mum to let me go to a summer camp with Frank. I didn't want him getting hurt again. That wasn't fair. Mikey came too, so we were free of Skye for one summer.

1992 – 15 Years Old: I couldn't get away this summer. This year, I was told by my mum that I should go to the party that Skye had brought up over the dinner table. "Just a small get together," she had said. My mum told me to go out and 'socialize'. At that party, my drink was spiked, and I ended up throwing up all over the most popular guy at school's shirt. I've been on his hitlist ever since. Plus, my Mum and Dad lost their shit and grounded me for getting drunk. I knew it was Skye. Who else?

1993 – 16 Years Old: I'll keep this one short too. She trashed my Mom's car, and I got the blame. Again. I had to pay for the damage.

1994 – 17 Years Old: This hurt me more than anything. I had this friend; Tommy. Basically, she told him a load of shit about me that wasn't true, like how I was a raging homosexual and I told her I wanted to ass rape him, which soon spread all over town (and I still get shit for it now) and turned him against me. _Then _she slept with him. That was the worst thing she ever did.

So that's why I dreaded summertime. I was just waiting for the blonde, head cheerleader to fuck with my head again.

"Gerard! They're here! Get up here, now!" my Mom called. She didn't like me very much. Loved me, fine, but didn't like me. After all, Skye had made out that I was a pretty bad kid, and thanks to her I was always in trouble for no reason at all.

I groaned and emerged from my basement bedroom, joining my family at the front door. I expected to see her blonde hair tied back in a pony tail that pulled her face tightly over her skull. I expected her to be wearing her bright red and white cheerleading uniform. I expected her blue eyes to shine with evil intent. I expected her to stamp on my foot 'accidentally on purpose' as she walked in the door.

None of these things happened.

What I did see, made my jaw form a perfect 'O' shape in pure astonishment. The person walking up the path was NOT Skye. It couldn't be…Could it?


	2. Fuck Her

_**I've waited far too long to upload again. I aplologise for this. BUT I am back, and the reason I was gone for so long, was due to coursework, which I have FINALLY FINISHED! So, I should update a lot more. And honestly, I've missed everyone's reviews. I'm glad you like my first chapter, and thank you to those who subscribed! :')**_

_**So, I got 9 reviews on the first chapter. Can I get that on each chapter? I HOPE SO! THAT'D BE AWESOME!**_

_**Review for another chapter, my lovelies! ;)**_

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><p>Chapter 2 – Fuck Her<p>

My gaze was hooked on the figure walking towards my front door. She looked nothing like the Skye I knew and hated.

Her hair was loose and shorter, stopping at her shoulders rather than her waist. She had choppy layers that made her hair look spiky in places and a side fringe that stopped above her left eye. The biggest shock was it was no longer blonde, but black.

The clothes she wore weren't her usual cheerleading uniform. Her t-shirt was black with red stripes, and she wore a black hoodie over the top. She also wore black skin tight skinny jeans and red converse on her feet.

Her nails looked chewed on instead of fake and long like talons, and were painted with black nail polish that had chipped around the edges. Around her usually evil-laced blue eyes was a thick black coating of eyeliner. The evil had vanished, and was replaced with a new trait; vulnerability.

Her skin was much paler than usual, making her look like a porcelain doll. She had ditched the fake tan that made her look like a tangerine for a natural colour, and it suited her better.

She averted her gaze from me and stared at the doorstep in front of her parents. They both looked tired…

"Hello!" Mom chimed before hugging Julie, Skye's Mom. My Dad shook Derek's hand as everyone erupted into conversation. Skye and I stayed silent. She raised her head slowly to look up at me. She almost looked _scared…_

"Gerard!" Mom snapped her fingers in front of my face and I realised I was staring at Skye.

"Sorry, what?" Great Gerard. Just great. Stare like a fucking moron.

"I said; could you take Skye's bags into your room, please? She'll be sharing with you this summer." Oh fuck; great. More opportunities to get my stuff ruined.

I nodded and took her bags into my basement room. I heard her Mom encourage her to follow me, but she tried to object. Of course, to no avail. Julie can be pretty stubborn. So reluctantly, Skye followed me. Once in my room, I put the bags on my bed, threw the pile of clothes that sat on the sofa bed to the side and unfolded it.

"I guess that that's where you'll sleep. It's pretty comfy, so…" I said awkwardly. She nodded slightly, staying quiet. "You look really different, by the way…" I blurted out.

"Er…thanks?" she said, so quietly I could hardly hear.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you or anything. I meant it in a good way!" I panicked when I saw a tear fall down her cheek. If I upset her, she'd use that as yet another reason to hate on me. She wiped the tear away quickly, shaking her head.

"No, it's okay. Look, I know you think I'm a bitch, and I know you hate me. You have every right; I was beyond a bitch to you. I get that now. I had worse done to me, and I've seen what it feels like. I'm so sorry Gerard…" her voice broke on the last syllable and more tears spilled over her cheeks. I was at a loss for words, myself.

In a small attempt to comfort her I stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. She quickly flinched and stepped back form my touch. Her gaze flickered to mine and she looked apologetic, before she sprinted up the stairs to the ground floor.

What was that all about? She turns up to the house looking like someone _I_ would hang around with, and then has a mental breakdown because I told her she look different? WHAT THE FUCK?

Something must have happened to her. She said to me she had had worse done to her. What was that supposed to mean? She fucked up my head pretty badly! What could possibly be worse than making me lose a friend and getting me beaten up?

Fuck her, she has no idea!


	3. Forgive, But Not Forget

_**Hey there, guys! Sorry for the wait; life's been crazy, with exams and homework and stuff...Plus the fact I've been preoccupied with trying to sort out tickets to go and see blink-182 in July (which I have managed to do. Fuck yes, Faye! ;)) and being excited about going to see All Time Low tomorrow night. OMFG life is great.**_

_**Anyways; please review. You know it means the world to me. Tah!**_

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><p>Chapter 3 – Forgive, But Not Forget<p>

I sat on my bed that afternoon, stewing over Skye. She pretended to be screwed up, when she knew that I had been through far worse than her. That's pretty low; even for her.

And you know what? I'm sick of her mind games. This year, I'll confront her. I'll finally stick up for myself. She's not going to get away with ruining every one of my summers for the past nine years.

"Gerard, dinner is on the table!" my mother shouted from upstairs. Great…

I trudged up the stairs, dragging my feet as I did so. As I entered the dining room I saw everyone assembled at the table. The only spare seat? Next to Skye. Fucking fabulous. I sat down, and she seemed to scoot a little closer to her mom, who simply glared at her.

Mikey was opposite us, and he was staring at Skye with a confused expression on his face. She looked down at her plate of lasagne, trying to avoid his gaze. Mikey then turned to look at me, a thousand questions behind his eyes. I simply shrugged in response to all of them.

Dinner went by without any further interruptions, but questioning looks were reflected back and forth from face to face. The parents seemed to launch in to conversation, leaving the three of us awkwardly eating in silence.

After the most boring and awkward dinner since Jesus' last supper, I dragged myself back to my bedroom. I knew I wouldn't be alone for long because I was sharing a room with bitch-face, so I made the most of the situation and started reading my brand new "Watchmen" comic.

Sure enough, at the midway point in my reading session, there was a knock on my door. Why she knocked, I have no idea. She's never been that considerate before.

"It's open," I shouted. The door creaked open then, and the Skye look-a-like made her way cautiously down the wooden staircase and over to the couch. She looked nervous. I couldn't hold myself back anymore…

"Okay, what the fuck is this?" I blurted out. She turned to look at me, shocked at my sudden outburst.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice quiet and wary.

"You know what I mean! Why are you all…like me…and so freaked out about everything?" She looked down shamefully at the floor.

"Some bad shit went down back at home…" she spoke reluctantly.

"What shit? Quite frankly, it's probably nothing compared to what you did to me!"

"My 'boyfriend' took advantage of me, okay?" she let it out, her voice slightly raised. I stared in shock for a few minutes. "We were going to try and…you know…sleep together, and he…he…" her voice shook and her tears spilled over her pale cheeks. I felt the need to comfort her intensify, so I stood up and made my way over to the space beside her, and put my hand on her shoulder, only to be shrugged off.

"I don't deserve your sympathy, Gerard. I don't deserve anyone's, but least of all, yours after everything I did to you…" she sobbed.

"Well, let me be the judge of that. What did this guy do?" I waited for her to compose herself before she spoke again.

"Well, we'd started to undress each other and stuff, and I thought it was going pretty well. He asked me if he could take some pictures, which I thought was really weird. He told me it would really turn him on. I trusted him and loved him, so I did it to make him happy. Then he just got dressed and left without going any further. I didn't understand and got really upset. When I went into school the next day, the pictures were all over the place; on lockers, notice boards, walls, floors…He'd exploited me…" she cried into her hands.

I genuinely felt awful for her. She wasn't lying; I knew that. I can just tell; I've learnt to see past her lies.

"All my friends turned against me and thought I was a slut. But he lied to me, and I'd never had sex before. I still haven't. How can I be a slut if I've never slept with anyone?" That was a lie! What about my best friend, Thomas?

"So, Thomas has escaped your memory, then?" I spat.

"Thomas? I never slept with him…I may have turned him against you, but I didn't go that far! I did have _some_ kind of moral compass, y'know!" her eyes pleaded with me to believe her.

"But he told me he'd…"

"What is it with guys who think with the head of their dick rather than the head on their shoulders?" That kind of offended me.

"Hey, not all guys are like that! I don't think with my cock, thank you!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean you. You've always been pretty nice and reserved actually…" she looked down in shame again.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Has there been anything else?" She composed herself again before speaking.

"My ex-best friends beat me up a lot. I've been in and out of hospital a few times with broken bones and blood loss. They'd throw me in lockers, shout abuse at me, corner me, cut me, burn me with their cigarette butts, you name it…I found solace in music after hearing a song that I could relate to. From then on I fell in love with rock and punk music. It tells the truth better than pop music. And this isn't me trying to wreck your tapes again, I promise," she chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

"Skye, that's…that's horrible!" I was truly disgusted at the behaviour of her ex and her old friends.

"My parents are trying to find a place here in Belleville so I can get away from the memories. Even now that we've graduated, they won't leave me alone." I nodded, agreeing with her parents' decision. Skye and I sat in silence, with her quiet sobs the only sound to be heard every so often. I decided she needed more comforting.

So, I carefully and slowly wrapped my arms around her, drawing her into my chest and hugging her. She stiffened, continuing to sob.

"Skye, you don't have to be scared anymore. It's gonna be okay," I whispered. She relaxed then, wrapping her arms around my neck, sobbing lightly into my shirt.

"I'm so sorry Gerard; for everything I did to you. I get how much I must have hurt you now. I don't expect you to forgive me…"

"Skye, I can forgive, but I can't forget. Everything's going to be fine, okay?" she nodded against my now damp shirt.

Maybe this summer would be different.


	4. Nightmares

_**Hello! Sorry, it's been ages since I uploaded...I hope this makes up for it. When I was writing this, I changed what I wanted to happen halfway through, so this is what came out of that. Enjoy! **_

_**Review, please! :)**_

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><p>Chapter 4 – Nightmares<p>

2a.m. and still no sleep. I just couldn't. I couldn't stop thinking about the last ten years, and how all that didn't matter anymore. Yeah, Skye had hurt me – numerous times, granted – but she had been hurt too. Probably even worse than myself. She was just as broken as me, and I can't keep loathing someone when I know that the one thing she needs right now is a friend.

She was obviously scared of her own shadow and no matter what she's done, I still want to help her. As I lay there at two in the morning, I couldn't help but turn over to look at her sleeping on the couch. She looked like she was finally at peace in her dreams. Dare I say it, she actually looked…beautiful. I'd never seen it before, because all I had seen was an evil witch who wanted to ruin my life. But in fact, she was really pretty.

After scrutinizing her and looking at her in a new light I noticed her face was now screwed up, yet still in a deep slumber. Her features were moving, as if wincing at something unpleasant. Her leg suddenly kicked out awkwardly. Her arms started hitting out, and soon all her limbs were thrashing around simultaneously. She began screaming profanities and cussing at her memories.

I felt helpless, watching her attack thin air. I felt the need to help her in any way I could, so I leapt out of bed and sprinted towards the couch. As her wrists flew about I tried to grab them. I managed to stop her arms, but her legs continued to kick out. I carefully sat down next to her and wrapped my arms around her torso.

"Skye, wake up! It's just a dream! It's me, Gerard! Wake up, Skye!" I pleaded. After a moment or two her eyes fluttered open, and her body went rigid in my arms. Her expression was that of a deer in headlights. She looked around the dark room to gather some understanding of what was happening, before turning back to me.

"Are you okay?" I asked. She nodded and pushed her hair out of her face. "What were you dreaming about?"

"They were beating me up again…" she whimpered. I tightened my grip on her, pulling her closer to my chest to try and comfort her.

"It's okay, they're gone. It's just us now. No one's going to hurt you." She nuzzled into my neck and curled up into my embrace.

"I didn't mean to wake you up…" she sniffed.

"You didn't. I haven't slept."

"Why not?" she sounded so vulnerable…

"I was…thinking. I don't usually sleep much anyway; probably something to do with my inhuman intake of coffee…" I mused. I felt her smile against my chest. Only a little smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Gerard…?" she asked hesitantly.

"What is it, honey?"

"Does this ever end? The torment…Their memories…Does it ever stop?" her voice quivered. She sounded so broken and fragile. I stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. Why? I don't fucking know…

"Slowly. People will help you. _I'll_ help you, if you let me…"

"I don't deserve your help, Gerard." I wish she'd stop saying that. I'm more than willing to help her.

"Yes you do. I'll help you in any way possible. I know what it's like, remember? I wish someone had helped me. I don't want someone else going through what I did."

"I don't know why I ever hated you, Gerard. You're too sweet to hate," she said as she sat up, wiping her cheeks. I smiled sheepishly at her and she giggled.

"What's funny?" I asked, the side of my mouth twitching in my own amusement.

"You're blushing…" she smiled shyly.

"Oh, uh…That's what happens to me when a pretty girl compliments me…" why did _that_ have to escape the confines of my brain?

"Pretty?" her face fell. What did I do wrong? Surely that's a compliment?

"What's wrong?"

"No one's ever told me that before…" she mumbled, looking down at her lap. I took her chin in my thumb and forefinger, and lifted her head to look at me.

"You're beautiful, Skye." DUDE, WHAT THE FUCK? YOU HATED THIS CHICK YUESTERDAY, NOW YOU'RE TELLING HER SHE'S BEAUTIFUL?

Then, the unbelievable happened.

I started to lean closer to her, unsure of my actions. I had never done this before, and I was so freaked out in case I did it wrong…

As I got closer, she looked down at my lips. That's a good sign, right? I kept inching closer, before my lips finally touched hers.

She didn't pull away like I had expected. Instead she matched my pressure, and kissed me back. I moved my fingers from her chin and cupped her cheek with my hand instead. But then she pulled away, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open. I felt suddenly empty and lost.

"No, Gerard…That can't work. Go back to bed," her voice was firm and sure of itself. I opened my mouth to protest but she turned her head away from me.

I stood up and went back to bed, pulling the covers over my head and keeping my back to Skye at all times. I heard her sigh quietly and fiddle with her own blankets, before silence fell on the room.

Fantastic; my first ever kiss is with my worst enemy, and she hates me for it. This has to go down in the history books as the worst decision ever made by me. It'll probably fuck her up even more than she already is, too. Now the entire summer is going to be horribly awkward…

Looks like Skye isn't the only one who's had a nightmare tonight…


	5. At Any Cost

_**Okay, it's been far too long. Again. I'm really sorry. Please forgive me! :(But writing just isn't a priority at the moment. Iwht exams and stuff coming up soon, revision is key. I have to get good grades...**_

_**But this chapter is dedicated to Tove, because i feel bad for not getting her a birthday present in time. And to Faye, because I think I made her smile today, and I'm glad. This is to cheer her up.**_

_**Enjoy! Please review!  
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><p>Chapter 5 – At Any Cost<p>

"Gerard, you douche, get the fuck up!" a familiar voice shouted in my ear. I groaned and rolled over, covering my head with a pillow. This was evidently not the desired response as I felt a prodding at my sides, like someone was poking me in the ribs.

"You're such a lazy shit. Fine, but you asked for it…" I heard the footsteps walk away from the bed and smiled to myself in triumph. I had won this. Ha.

Or so I thought.

The same footsteps started towards me again and were accelerating. Before I had a chance to realise what was going on, there was an almighty "GERONMIOOOOOOO!" and a huge weight fell on me. I curled up instantly and groaned under the pressure. I pushed the lump away and onto the floor before sitting up, a pissed off look on my face.

"Hey, Gee!" the little fucker grinned at me. Such a cock sucker…

"Who let you in?" I grumbled.

"Momma Way did."

"Oh man…Frank, you know how much I hate being woken up!"

"Exactly," he grinned.

"You're such an asshole"

"But you love me! Now get up, Mikey has invited the others over." He got up off the floor and jogged back up the stairs to the ground floor.

I sighed and let myself fall back onto the bed. Then it all rushed back to me…I kissed Skye last night…I, Gerard Arthur Way, kissed a girl. And now she hated me. I mentally slapped myself for my idiocy.

Wait, didn't Frank wake her up when he came down? If she had, she'd been very quiet…I looked over at the couch only to find that Skye wasn't there. The blankets were scruffy and draped over the edge, but there was no sign of Skye anywhere.

I rubbed at my eyes as I replayed what happened last night. I had kissed her….Such a clever move, I know. I needed to talk to her about it. I just couldn't believe my idiocy.

Once I was changed into my trademark band t-shirt and skinny jeans, I climbed up the stairs to the ground floor, dragging my feet. I was in no particular hurry, in case Skye was upstairs. I was dreading talking to her and I was pretty sure she didn't want to see me…

Still, I persevered and made my way into the kitchen. Mikey and Frank were sat opposite each other, sipping on mugs of coffee. My mum was flipping pancakes and I guess my Dad had gone to work. Skye's parents had said they were going house hunting today, so I assumed they'd left already. Mum turned around, and spoke with a smile on her face in my direction.

"Good morning, sweetheart!" she smiled.

"Mornin' ma! Where's Skye?" I asked cautiously.

"She's in the shower upstairs. She didn't use yours; she didn't want to wake you. Pancakes?"

"Yeah, sure," I brushed the conversation off and sat beside Frank, who gave me a strange look. "What?" I questioned.

"Skye's here?" he whispered, looking pissed…I nodded in response and his breath hitched in his throat.

"Look, she's different now. Shit went down…she's had it rough…"

"And we haven't? Is all that forgotten now?" he scolded.

"Yes…" I glared at him, hinting to forget the subject and drop it.

"Unbelievable…ten summers on the trot, and you want to excuse that?"

"I'm sorry," a small, weak and feminine voice piped up from the doorway. We both turned in our seats to see Skye stood at the entrance to the kitchen. Her black hair fell wet at her shoulders, and she was wearing a black misfits shirt with black skinny jeans. Dare I say it, she looked pretty damn sexy with wet hair, but of course, I had to banish that thought from my mind.

"Sorry? That's not gonna cut it, I'm afraid. Sorry just isn't good enough."

"Shut up, Frank!" I almost shouted. Mikey and Mom were both watching the scene unfold with wide eyes, and the same shocked expression on their faces. I stood up form the table and stepped towards her. "Ignore him, Skye. He's just being his usual stubborn self."

She looked down guiltily at the floor and turned away, walking back down the hall and turning off to go into the basement. I turned back and sent daggers to Frank in a gaze.

"Boys, what aren't you telling me?" Mom asked, her tone commanding and judgemental.

"Nothing, Momma Way. I've just never liked Skye. I'm being…irrational," he never looked away from my gaze to reassure my Mom.

"Riiiiight… Anyway, grub's up! Gee, be a sweetheart and take these down to Skye, will you?" she held out a plate with four pancakes dripping with maple syrup on it. I took the plate from her grasp and began the short descent to my room.

When I reached the bottom step I noticed Skye sat on the couch, hugging her knees to her chest. Her face was buried in her knees, her hair shielding it from view completely. Her shoulders were shaking as if she were crying. I set the pancakes down on the desk littered with drawings of comic book characters I had spent hours on and rushed to her side immediately. When I sat down she shuffled away from me as far as she could until she hit the arm rest. She never looked up once.

"Skye, look, I'm sorry about Frank. He doesn't understand. And I'm sorry for last night, too. I don't know why, but it just sort of happed. I didn't want to upset you," I tried everything to try and prove myself.

"I'm not upset because of Frank, and I'm not upset because of you either. I hate myself for what I did to the pair of you." She still never looked up.

"I keep telling you; I forgive you. Frank will to, in time."

"I haven't forgiven myself, Gerard. That's why I said no last night. You can't kiss me like that. You can't say nice things to me like you did. I can't let you. I've hurt you enough. I can't risk doing it again," she looked up at me, her cheeks stained and red with tears. I wiped them away with my thumbs and grasped her chin like I had the previous night.

"Skye, please…You know the mistakes you made. You won't make them again. Try and be happy. I can't stand this! Nothing has to happen between us, just…hang out with me and my friends? I'll put Frank on a leash and everything!" she giggled slightly at my nervous joke; it was only the second time I had heard her laugh since she got here.

"I'll give it a go…"

"Thank you. Now, Mom made you pancakes. Get 'em down you, then come upstairs, yeah?" she nodded. "Okay, see you in a bit. My hair dryer and straighteners are on the desk somewhere if you want to borrow them." I stood up and walked back upstairs, a spring in my step.

I'd make sure she had fun. At any cost.


	6. Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

_**I am so fucking sorry! It has been SOOO hectic. I have neglected this story so much...I really hope you didn't get too bored or anything... This is, I've had to prepare for my Spanish speaking and writing exams. But I finally finished my last speaking exam today, so updates are going to come more often. i promise. I have a whole weekend home alone this weekend too, so I might update a few times, to make up for my neglect. **_

_**Please forgive me. I am so so so sorry. To let me know you still love me, and to show me you want this story to carry on, please review. Without reviews, I don't know if anyone is interested or not. So please review. I love you all! **_

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><p>Chapter 6 – Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder<p>

"Be nice to her Frank, she's been through a lot of shit," I pleaded.

"Yeah, Frank. What have you got against this girl anyway?" Ray, the biggest goofball ever, with the biggest hair, piped up. He and our old friend Matt Pelissier had come over just as we had finished breakfast.

"She had a group of jocks beat the shit out of Gerard and I, and has been a bitch to him every summer for the last nine years!"

"But if Gerard can forgive her, surely you can too? He's had more to deal with than you," Matt questioned. Frank thought for a moment, before sighing in defeat and nodding his head.

"Fine, I'll tolerate her. But don't expect me to be a gentleman or any shit like that," he spat.

"Well…thanks for the venom, I guess." I rolled my eyes and left the lounge to put my empty coffee cup in the sink. When I turned around, Skye was stood in the doorway. "Oh, hey!" I smiled, and she gave me a weak smile.

"Gerard, Frank really hates me. I don't want to piss him off…I think I'm just going to stay in the basement or something…" At that point Frank joined us.

"No, it's okay Skye. You've got today to prove you've changed. One slip up and I'll continue to be an asshole," he smiled, with no honesty about his grin, and walked out again.

"Ignore him," I stepped towards her, "he'll realise what a nice person you are soon enough. Come on, I'll introduce you," I took her hand delicately in mine and pulled her into the lounge to introduce her to my friends.

I cleared my throat to get their attention, still clutching her hand. Everyone looked up from what they were doing and smiled. Apart from Frank. He just looked up.

"Everybody this is Skye, Skye this is everybody," I introduced her. Ray stood with a hand outstretched towards her.

"Ray Toro, nice to meet you," he smiled. She took his hand in hers gingerly and shook it with a small smile. Ray then sat down, and Matt stood up to shake her hand.

"Matt Pelissier," he smiled as they exchanged a formal greeting. He sat back down again and an awkward silence descended on the group.

"So uh, what's the plan for today?" I interrupted the silence.

"We thought we'd go to the movie theatre. That new horror film looks awesome, so…" Mikey answered, "Wanna come, Skye?" Everyone turned towards her expectedly.

"Oh no, that's okay. I don't want to intrude," she spoke quietly.

"You wouldn't be! You're more than welcome," said Ray.

"Well, if you're sure…" she mumbled.

"Of course we're sure," Matt contributed. Frank nodded along with an obviously fake smile on his face. I gave him a disapproving glare.

"Thanks." Skye smiled a little. God, I love it when she smiles. It's such a rarity that it's even more special when she does. It's a shame she doesn't see how beautiful she is. If I could give her one thing, it'd be the ability to see herself through my eyes. Maybe then she'd forgive herself.

I wouldn't stop trying though. I'll make her see that the past doesn't matter.

Why am I talking about her like this? I think I'm developing a crush of some sort. She's just so beautiful to me, and she really needs someone to keep telling her that until she believes it. I want to be the one to fix her. Maybe one day she'll be able to look in the mirror without wanting to cry.

I don't expect anyone to understand my reasoning. It probably sounds ludicrous to you. But trust me, this girl is special. You'd understand if you saw the world though my eyes, As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.


	7. A Working Progress

**_OH MY GOD GUYS. EXAMS STARTED TODAY. D: That means less frequent rupdates. :'( Not that I've been updating much recently anyway...which I'm really sorry for! I try my hardest not to let you down, and I know I do, so I am so sorry. Things have just been a bit difficult recently. :/ Still, I've updated now. And I really hope you guys are still reading and enjoying this! If you are, please just post a little review! It'll take you two seconds! I just really want to know what people think, and if people are interested. If no one reviews, I just assume no one wants me to carry on writing it. So please, review! And ENJOY!_**

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><p>Chapter 7 – A Working Progress<p>

The whole thing went quite well, really. Frank stayed quiet, glaring at Skye whenever she wasn't looking. I'm glad she never saw. He was being immature. Whenever he would glare, I'd be sure to scold him with eye contact. He'd back off then.

Skye seemed to come out of her shell for the first time, too. She would laugh at Ray's terrible jokes, strike up a conversation with Matt, and had a heated debate with Mikey about comic books. She seemed to fit right in!

The week following the cinema was fairly uneventful. Skye and I just became closer, and she became less of the shy, introvert she had arrived as. Skye's parents continued to go house hunting, and eventually found one right under their nose, about four doors down the street.

They asked me to help with the move, which of course I did. I wish I hadn't. Purely because my back resembled that of the hunchback Quasimodo. But if I'm totally honest, I wanted to impress Skye.

"That's the last of the boxes," I stated as I put down the last box on Skye's bedroom floor.

"Thank you," she smiled at me from her position sat on her bed with her legs folded. I collapsed on my back next to her with a sigh. "You didn't have to help, you know. It was really sweet that you did."

"No, it was nothing; really." We sat in silence for a few minutes before I felt the mattress shift underneath me, and her lips connect briefly with my cheek.

"I'll go and get some sodas," she said before walking out of the room. My hand drifted to the spot she had kissed, and a smile formed on my lips.

Everything that girl did made me want her even more. But she was so difficult to read. I couldn't tell if she liked me back or not. Sometimes I would catch her looking at me, but she'd turn away and blush when I'd look. Does that mean something?

Just as I had started running thoughts through my head, Skye came and sat beside me again. I sat up ton retrieve my soda, and groaned at the dull ache in my back.

"You're in pain?" she asked as I took the soda out of her hand. Me being the idiot that I am and trying to impress her, shook my head. "Yeah you are! Come here," she put down her soda on the floor and moved to sit behind me.

"What are you doing?" I asked nervously.

"Just relax, or it won't work properly," she replied as she pressed her thumbs to my back, and began to rub small circles under my shoulder blades, using the rest of her fingers to steady me. "How's that?"

"That's…really helping, actually. Where'd you learn to do this?"

"I didn't…" she giggled.

"Well, it feels fucking amazing. Thank you."

Now, on the exterior I must have looked pretty calm. But inside, I was hyperventilating. My heart was racing faster than a hummingbird's wings. My blood was pulsing at an insanely intense rate, and my head was screaming.

And then, along with her hands, the feelings vanished. I suddenly felt empty again. She sat back in her original spot and took a sip of her soda.

"So, I was thinking; do you and all your friends want to stay over on Saturday night? Everything should be unpacked by then, and a house warming party would be fun. My parents will be away at a conference, so invite whoever you like."

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'll invite Jamia and Alicia. It might do you good to be around some girls who understand you."

"Yeah, that sounds awesome. Tell everyone to bring food and duvets and shit. It should be a laugh," she smiled a dazzling smile at me, and my face began to burn as my cheeks flushed red.

Seeing her smile was starting to have this affect on me more often than not. And she was smiling a lot more often. Over the last week, she was starting to be more of the extrovert I knew, only nice. She'd talk more, smile more, and you could tell even by the way she moved she was gaining confidence all the time.

Only, around people she didn't know, she had a tendency to regress back to her introverted side. But still, that's a working progress.


	8. Near Miss

_**Hey again! So the majority of my exams are over. I have 3 left. I have a 13 day break though, which means I may be uploading more often. ;) In fact, I have another chapter written up after this one. BUT, and here's the big BUT, I'm not going to upload it until I get 5 reviews. ;) OOH, I'm mean...**_

_**So, if you want another chapter, then it'd make sense to review. LOVE ME. REVIEW. **_

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><p>Chapter 8 – Near Miss<p>

Saturday night came quickly. Everyone had been invited to Skye's; Ray, Matt, Mikey, Frank, our friends Alicia and Jamia. Everyone was looking forward to it. Even Frank, but I think his motive was just so he could spend time gawping at Jamia. He has a bit of a thing for her…

By eight o'clock, I was ready to go. But Mikey? Far from it…

"MIKEY, HURRY THE FUCK UP!" I shouted up the stairs.

"Watch your language, Gerard!" my mom shouted as she walked into the hall from the lounge.

"Sorry ma, but Mikey's taking way too long. Skye's going to be waiting."

"I'm sure she can wait a few minutes, honey. You're quite taken with her, aren't you?" she asked, smirking as she put her hand on my shoulder. I became defensive quickly.

"No! It's just not gentlemanly to keep a lady waiting," REALLY GERARD? IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO! That was so fucking lame…Mum looked at me sceptically with the same smirk on her face.

"Right…MIKEY, HURRY UP BEFORE GERARD LOSES HIS MIND!" she laughed, but soon retreated after seeing the unimpressed look on my face. Mikey then clambered down the stairs, his expression matching my unimpressed one. He was clutching a bag, duvet and pillow, trying not to drop it all.

"Finally! Right, see you tomorrow mom!" I called out.

"See you tomorrow! Don't get too drunk okay?" she laughed, but I sensed her true discomfort.

"Sure thing. Bye!" Mikey and I both left through the front door clutching our belongings, and made our way down the street to Skye's house. She was already stood at the front door, sporting an oversized Misfits shirt and black denim shorts that stopped mid-thigh. Her hair was dead straight and her eyes were lined with her statement black. I held back a sigh; she looked incredible, as per fucking usual. My self-control has to be pretty damn good for me to not bound over to her and kiss her.

"You took your time! Everyone's inside," she smiled as we walked past her and dumped our stuff in the lounge.

"Sorry, Mikey took forever," I laughed and sat down on the floor, joining the others who already had a drink in their hand.

"Want a beer?" Skye offered.

"I'd love one, thanks!" She smiled and handed me on, before sitting opposite me in the circle. Mikey then sat between Alicia and I, a beer in one hand, and wrapped his free arm around Alicia's waist. Did I forget to mention they're dating? Anyway…

Everyone was enjoying themselves, just sitting around and talking for what felt like five minutes, but was apparently an hour. But I wasn't joining in on the conversation. I just couldn't. I was just staring at Skye, like a creepy-ass stalker. I couldn't get over her beauty.

It's funny, really. Two weeks ago, if someone had told me I'd be falling for the girl who made my summers hell, I'd have thrown a shoe at their face and told them to fuck off. But now, with it being a reality it didn't seem so crazy. In fact, it's all I could think of.

Suddenly Skye's gaze met my own, and as much as I wanted to pull away to save any awkwardness, I just couldn't. Her eyes had me frozen; lost in the pools of blue. She smiled and continued to stare. But strangely, it never became awkward. Just for a few minutes, we kept staring and smiling. I could feel my cheeks getting hot, but I was pulled out of my trance by Mikey spilling an ice cold beer over my lap.

"Whoops! Sorry bro!" he said, holding in a laugh that was threatening to surface. I could tell her was already tipsy.

"Mikey, I look like I've fucking pissed myself! Watch what you're doing!" I whined.

"If you want you can use my hairdryer to dry yourself off. It's upstairs," Skye offered.

"Yeah, please," I stood up and followed Skye upstairs. A chorus of wolf whistles rang out as we left, and I responded by flipping the bird. And probably blushing furiously…

When Skye went into her room, I stood at the door awkwardly, my hands shoved as deep as they would go into my pockets. She fumbled through her drawers until she found her little black hairdryer.

"You can come in, you know," she giggled as she plugged it in. I sat on the edge of her bed, and she took her place beside me, handing me the hairdryer. I flicked the switch and held it just above the wet patch on my groin. Yeah; awkward, right?

I felt myself grow increasingly uncomfortable as she stared at me. It was as if her gaze was burning into the side of my head.

"Are you okay, Gee?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why'd you ask?" I lied.

"You were just staring at me earlier, and not really talking to anyone. You seemed distant," her eyes seemed worried.

"I was just thinking, I guess." That wasn't a lie, exactly. I just hope she doesn't ask what I was thinking about…

"What about?" DAMNIT.

"Er…" I hesitated. Should I tell her? She didn't react well last time. Would it be different now? "…you." WHAT? That sort of left my mouth without any conscious instruction from my brain. But still, I just couldn't tear my gaze away. She had a surprised look on her face, but a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"What about me?" she asked.

"I think you already know…" I said in a low, and slightly seductive tone. I don't know how it happened, but suddenly I was staring at her lips. They began to move closer to my own, and when I looked up, she was looking at my lips too.

Our lips were just millimetres apart, when…

"DUDE! Hurry up, the girls want to play spin the bottle!" a _very_ tipsy Mikey staggered through the door. We both pulled away quickly and stood up. The wet patch on my jeans wasn't quite dry, but it wasn't soaked anymore. I shut the hairdryer off and followed Skye and Mikey downstairs without another word.

I am _so_ going to kill Mikey for that. Talk about near miss!


	9. Spin the Bottle

_**I know how short this is, and I know that it isn't quite what everyone wants; you made it perfectly clear what you wanted in your reviews. ;) But I also apologise for waiting so long to update. I said five reviews, and by the time I remembered to check my emails, I had 7...SORRY! Anyway, please enjoy the chapter. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**_

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><p>Chapter 9 – Spin the Bottle<p>

Skye and I resumed our places on the floor, avoiding each other's gaze like the plague. Alicia drank the rest of her beer, and put the bottle in the middle of the circle. With a quick flick of the wrist, the bottle was spinning.

It landed on a reluctant Ray.

"Truth," he mumbled. Alicia, being the one who had spun the bottle, had to ask the question.

"Who was your first kiss?"

"What are we, 12?" he laughed, "it was a girl called Joanna, and it was horrible. That's all you're getting," he frowned slightly and span the bottle again. It landed on Mikey.

"Dare," he said confidently.

"Okay. I dare you, to run down the street completely naked," Ray smirked evilly.

"No way," he protested.

Five minutes later, everyone was stood on Skye's front doorstep, watching Mikey run down the street in nothing but his birthday suit. I couldn't help but laugh until my stomach hurt.

Back in the circle, a fully clothed Mikey span the bottle. It landed on me. _Crap! _

"Uhm…Truth," I nervously chose.

"When we were kids, you told me that Dad had broken my favourite Batman mug, and he always denied it. Was it actually you that broke it?" _Well, that's not so bad…_

"Well…yes," I answered honestly, and then span the bottle. This time it landed on Frank.

"Truth," he muttered. I knew I could play cupid here, so I knew exactly what to ask.

"Who have you got a crush on?" I smirked. He gave me a knowing death glare. He looked over at Jamia and took a deep breath, before spilling the inevitable.

"Jamia…" he said, loud and confident. The look on her face was one of utter shock, mixed with elation.

"Really?" she asked in a high, squeaky voice.

"Yeah, for like a year," he said, scratching the back of his neck nervously. Jamia grinned, stood up and made her way over to Frank. She knelt in front of him, held his chin up, and kissed him. And I don't mean a peck. They were making out. They literally had no shame.

Matt cleared his throat awkwardly and they pulled apart, grinning wildly. Frank then pulled her to sit on his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. Frank then spun the bottle, which landed on me. AGAIN. Considering I had already chosen truth, I had to go with a dare.

"I dare you…to.. =.make out with Skye." _I'm sorry, WHAT? _I looked over at her, and she was staring at me wide eyed, like a deer in headlights.

I slowly made my way over to her, internally freaking out the whole time. She timidly rose to her knees to match my height.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered, before I cupped her cheek, and leaned closer. She began leaning towards me and shut her eyes. I shut mine too, milliseconds before my lips collided with hers.

They quickly fitted together and were soon moving in sync. My free hand found it's way subconsciously to her waist, as both of her gripped onto my shirt, pulling me closer.

The kiss was incredible. My bones ached for more, but I didn't want to push my luck. It just felt right, like we were perfectly compatible.

When I felt her tongue running lightly along my bottom lip, I was quick to allow it inside my mouth. But wait, doesn't that mean she wanted this as much as I did?

Eventually we pulled apart, and just stared at each other for a moment or two.

"O-kay…That was…intense," Ray said, trying to break the tension. Skye and I just kept staring at each other, our hands still in place, until I broke off and sat back in the circle. I span the bottle and the night continued, like nothing had happened.

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><p><strong><em>You'll get what you want eventually. I promise. REVIEW PLEASE!<em>**


	10. Things That Go Bump in the Night

_**I am SO SORRY. In the excitement of leaving school and finishing exams and shit, I completely forgot to upload omg please don't hate me. So to make up for it, I cut straight to the chapter that you guys wanted; the start of something special. ;) Enjoy it!**_

_**And, although i've been a bitch for not uploading, it'd be great if I could get 5 or so reviews, so I know you guys haven't lost interest.** _

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><p>Chapter 10 – Things That Go Bump in the Night<p>

I couldn't sleep. Of course I couldn't fucking sleep. Skye and I had kissed…AGAIN. But only because we were forced to. That's the worst thing. I want to kiss her _of my own accord. _Not that she wanted to kiss me, of course, but I'll just have to live with that.

The others were all sprawled out on a bed of duvets and pillows on the lounge floor. I could see Jamia curled up with Frank, Alicia attached to Mikey's side and the others spread out, sleeping alone. Skye was the furthest away from me. I think she was trying to keep her distance.

And who could blame her? I had not only almost kissed her in her room, but pushed her too far in Spin the Bottle. I'd scared her off. Great job, Gerard.

Instead of staying in the lounge where Frank and Ray appeared to have started a snoring competition, I decided to go and sit in the kitchen and make myself a coffee. When I flicked on the kitchen light it took a while for my eyes to adjust. After blinking a few ties, the light didn't hurt so much. I fumbled around the kitchen until a found the necessary ingredients and utensils needed to make the liquid gold.

I had just started pouring the piping hot drink when I heard a rustling from the lounge. I froze for a moment before shrugging it off as someone rolling over. I continued to pour my coffee without a second thought.

"Gerard?" her voice rang out behind me. I abruptly turned around to see her standing in the doorway, dazed and squinting in the light.

"Oh hey, Skye. I uh, couldn't sleep so…"

"So you thought you'd make yourself a steaming hot cup of liquid caffeine to help you drift off? That makes perfect sense," she laughed. I looked back at the mug on the worktop.

"Yeah, I guess it is a bit of a stupid idea but it tastes so damn good!" I took a sip and she laughed again and hopped up onto the counter beside where I had taken to leaning on it. "So what are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep either. I saw the light on and thought I'd join whoever it was," she smiled sweetly at me. I nodded in acknowledgment as an awkward silence descended on the two of us. I couldn't help but let my mind wonder back to the rather 'heated' kiss earlier that night.

"Skye…" I started but stopped, realising she probably didn't want to talk about it.

"What is it?" she inquired.

"Oh nothing, just forget I said anything."

"You're thinking about the dare, aren't you? That kiss?" How did she know? "Well even if you weren't, I kind of was…" she added.

"What was it you were thinking about the kiss?" I asked inquisitively.

"I was, uh, thinking that I enjoyed it a lot more than I should."

"What do you mean more than you should?"

"Well I just don't think I should have enjoyed it. You were forced to do it, and didn't want to. The fact that I liked it just makes it awkward. So I'm sorry for that. I'm gonna, um, go back to bed now…" she hopped down and was just about to leave when I grabbed her wrist, spun her around and crushed her lips with my own. And I have no idea why.

She pulled away quickly and stared at me in shock.

"I'm sorry, I uh, I don't know. Skye I'm so sorry…" I babbled but she silenced me with a lighter, gentler kiss. I let go of her wrist and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer to me. Sh obliged and wrapped one of her arms around my neck, whilst grasping at my pyjama shirt with her free hand. There were never any gestures to suggest taking things further, just an innocent – but passionate – kiss.

The moment was perfect, and I never wanted to let go of her. Our lips were moving together with no intrusion of tongues; just sweet and romantic.

We broke apart momentarily, to regain a steady breathing pattern. She looked up into my eyes, and smiled a genuine, happy smile. I smiled back, beaming at the knowledge that I had made her feel this way.

She leant up to kiss me again, capturing my lips in another tender kiss. All the love and adoration I had for her flowed through me, racing around and dominating my thoughts. There was never any fight for control, we had just become one.

But what did this mean? Did she want to be my girlfriend, or..? I guess time will tell but for now, I'll just savour the taste of her lips on my own.

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><p><strong><em>Happy now? ;)<em>**


	11. The Morning After the Night Before

_**I am so sorry omg. I don't know why this has taken me so long to update and I really am so sorry...But it's here. I hope I'll update more regularly, but don't hold me to that, because I've just started college and it's all a bit confusing right now...But please review this, even if it's to tell me how much you hate me. I still love you guys. Please review! **_

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><p>Chapter 11 – The Morning after the Night Before<p>

I woke up too quickly for my liking. The sun streamed through the gaps in the curtains, lighting up the mass of bed linen that was covering the floor. I was tired and grouchy when I awoke, and it seemed like I wasn't the only one…

"Ray, get the fuck off my duvet!" shouted Matt to a still fast asleep Raymond, who was cradling Matt's duvet like a new born baby. Matt decided that he'd just pull the duvet from his grasp, which left Ray wide awake and looking rather startled.

My mood was soon brightened by the reminder of what had happened the night before. We kissed. Skye and I FINALLY fucking kissed. Holy shit. I looked over to where Skye was folding her bedding up and trying to bundle it together to carry it upstairs. I rushed over to her instinctively.

"Here, let me give you a hand," I said, smiling like a little kid. She smiled back as I took the bundle from her and started to head upstairs. She followed me to her room and watched me dump her stuff on her bed.

"Thanks, Gerard," she smiled awkwardly. I smiled back and stepped towards her, taking her hand in mine. She looked up into my eyes and before I knew it she was kissing me again.

"You're very welcome," I grinned when we pulled apart.

"Guys, come on what are you doing up he-" Frank walked into the room and stopped when he saw us holding hands. "Sorry, am I interrupting something?" We pulled them apart quickly.

"No, nothing," I stated quickly. He raised an eyebrow at me, before shrugging his shoulders and shaking it off.

"Whatever man, we need to get the lounge cleared up. There's beer bottles and pizza boxes everywhere," he said before walking out again, leaving us alone.

"Do you think he suspects something?" she asked. I didn't know how to answer. Was she trying to keep us a secret?

"I don't know. Don't you want him to know or something?"

"Well, I don't know…It might be more fun to see how long it takes them to figure it out…" she smirked, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. I automatically smirked with her and nodded. "We should go…" she reminded me, and the two of us walked back downstairs and into the lounge.

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><p>Several hours later, everyone had gone home, including Mikey and I. I was lying on my unmade bed, throwing a ball at the wall, creating soft thuds that echoed around the basement. Considering there was only one small window in my room, it was rather dark and I could hardly see anything.<p>

Suddenly a beam of light began to creep over the floor, originating from the top of the stairs. Someone was coming in…And considering no one knocked, I have to assume it was Mikey. Sure enough, my goofy little brother started walking down the stairs with a suspicious looking smile on his face.

"What are you so smug about?" I asked. He remained silent until he sat beside me on my bed.

"You. Frank said he walked in on you and Skye _holding hands_?" Ah, fuck. Note to self: KILL THE LITTLE FUCKER NEXT TIME YOU SEE HIM!

"Then he's imagining things. We weren't holding hands. We were…" I couldn't think of a decent substitute.

"Give it up, it's so obvious. And it's about time. You _like her!" _He was acting like a 12 year old. And then I cracked.

"Yeah fine, okay but she's just so perfect, and beautiful, and clever, and funny and I can't not be in love with her Mikey I know she treated me like shit for so long but she's really changed I'm sure of it and she's incredible and last night we kissed and she didn't freak out and she admitted she liked me and I can't believe it!" I rambled with minimal breaths taken.

"Whoa dude, shut up! I get it, okay? She means a lot to you, whatever. Who am I to judge? I'm just glad my older brother finally has a girlfriend!" he laughed. I took a pillow from behind my head and hit him in the face with it, to which he responded with a rugby tackle. Don't ask how that works when I'm already lying down. It's pretty much just him jumping on me and winding me. "Sooooo, how was the kiss?" he said, making kissing noises.

"Shut up, you freak. And, it was just…the best thing ever. There was no suggestive move or anything like that, just a sweet and innocent kiss. I think I love her, Mikey. In fact, no. I KNOW I love her."

"Wow, dude…Then what are you still doing here? Go over there, while she has the house to herself, and tell her exactly how you feel! You've got nothing to lose. Fucking go for it! Don't sit on your ass daydreaming. She's probably waiting for you to go over. GO GO GO!" he shouted.

"Okay, okay I'm going. Jeez…" I held up my hands in surrender and stood up, starting to run up the stairs.

"Gee, wait!" he shouted behind me. I turned and looked at him. He threw a small silver packet at me. "Just in case," he winked.

"What the fuck are you doing with these? No wait, I don't wanna know…" I shoved the packet in my back pocket, not expecting or intending to use it.

Time to tell Skye the truth.


	12. Ready

_**I wanted to keep this as classy as possible because I'm trying to write this story as, well, professionally as I can. I didn't to write a full on smut scene, just something cute and suggestive. So I hope you enjoy this. I'm pretty tired so it might be terrible. And some reviews would be lovely. I didn't get many last time. Whether that's because of my two month abandonment or not, I'd appreciate some more reviews so I know what you think. I DO still love you guys.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 12 – Ready<strong>

I sprinted the short journey down the road to her house and knocked frantically on the door. Skye opened it after a few minutes, with a confused expression on her beautiful face.

"Gerard? What's wrong?" Obviously her instincts told her something was up, probably because I was panting like a diseased dog.

"Nothing…I…just need….to talk," I spluttered out. She nodded and opened the door wider to let me in. I sat down on the couch while she went and made me a coffee. I didn't even have to ask, bless her. She put it down on the coffee table in front of me and turned her body to face me once she had sat down.

"So, what's up?" she looked worried, as if I was going to tell her I didn't want to be with her or something.

"I don't really know where to start or anything so I'm just going to come right out and say it and I don't care how blunt I am but Skye; I love you. So yeah, feel free to freak out but I can't help it. I'm in love with you," I took a breath and awaited her response. Her face looked shocked and I don't know, a little scared? Shit.

Then the corners of her mouth started to turn upwards, and she smiled. Relief washed through me like a flash flood and I relaxed.

"Gee, that's so sweet. I love you too." she shifted forwards and pecked my lips, her smiles spreading into a grin to match my own.

"I just felt like I needed to tell you. Mikey kinda forced me to as well. Little shit threw a condom at me too. I mean come on he's surely too young to be carrying or using those…" I laughed, nervously rambling on. Skye giggled too.

"Well, at least he IS being safe," she laughed harder now. Probably at the disgusted expression on my face.

"Ew, that's my little brother! Ew, ew, ew!" Skye continued to laugh at me. "Anyway…" I said, trying to steer the conversation a different way. "I thought your parents would be back by now?"

"Oh, no they have to stay for a few more days," she looked saddened by this.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just rarely see them anymore. Ever since that whole picture taking thing with my ex-boyfriend they've sort of looked down on me, like I'm a disappointment. Who can blame them? I am a disappointment."

"Whoa, no you're not! Skye, you're perfect. That whole photo thing was his fault, not yours. Fuck your parents. You've still got me. I love you, no matter what." She looked up at me, and then smiled.

"I love you too," she said, before moving in for another kiss. This time, it wasn't just a peck. She moved closer to me, placing one of her hands on my cheek, the other on my knee. She began to kiss me a bit harder, running her tongue along my bottom lip. Soon enough, our tongues had started some kind of weird wrestling match. But I liked it…

Somehow my hands had found their way to her hips and were pulling her towards me. I thought she'd object and tell me it was too much but she didn't seem to care. In fact, she straddled my lap, which was a bit of a shock. We proceeded to kiss for some time after that. I'm not sure how long exactly, but it was a long time…Then things started to heat up a bit…

She ran her hands down my chest, then clutched onto the bottom of my Iron Maiden shirt and lifted it off, over my head. She then wasted no time in kissing me again, her hands resting on my chest. Suddenly a thought dawned on me; _I don't want her rushing into this before she's ready. I have to stop this…_

"Wait, Skye…" I began as I pushed her shoulders back a bit, "are you really ready for this? I mean, after what happened last time…I don't want you to regret this tomorrow. We've not exactly been together long and I don't want to lose you…"

"Gerard, I trust you. You won't do anything like that scumbag did. And I love you; I want to show you that and well, I know it's soon, but I can't think of anytime more perfect than now. We've just confessed to each other that we're in love, and my parents aren't going to be home for days…This is perfect," she looked directly into my eyes to prove she wasn't lying. "I trust you. I'm ready," and with that, we were back to making out.

I lifted her tank top off of her torso, and stared in awe at her body. She was perfect.

"Do the scares freak you out…?" she asked, obviously worried. I hadn't even noticed, but there were scars over her stomach. There must have been over 30 thick, white scars neatly lined up around her belly button. To show her I didn't care, I bent forwards and started to kiss the scars, one by one.

"Nothing can make me think you're anything less than perfect," I confessed before kissing her again. She smiled into the kiss and began to unbuckle my skinny jeans, her lips never leaving mine. She stood up to take them off of me, and dropped them down the side of the couch. While she stood in front of me, I unbutton her black shorts and let them drop to the floor. Even the underwear she was wearing was beautiful. Both her bra and panties were a park purple, with black lace around the edges. She had the most stunning figure and body that even my imagination couldn't have conjured up.

"You're so beautiful, Skye…" She playfully hit my arm whilst smirking as if to tell me to shut up. "What? You are." I grinned and stood up, taking her hands in mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck and began to kiss me again. Naturally my own hands rested on her hips.

After a few more minutes of kissing, Skye reached around and undid the clasp on her bra. She then took down the straps and let it fall. I couldn't help but stare. I mean come on, the most gorgeous and sexy girl ever, is half naked in front of me. What would YOU be staring at? She giggled a little and lifted my chin up, so I was looking into her eyes again.

"My eyes are up here," she laughed.

"I'm sorry; you're just…so sexy…"

"Well, thank you." She then continued, taking off my ever-growing-tighter boxer shorts, and her own underwear. She then sat down on the couch, gently pulling me with her. She lay down, taking me with her, so I was hovering over her.

"Are you sure about this? It's not too late to say no."

"Gerard, I'm more than sure. This is perfect. I love you."

"I love you too." I kissed her again, letting my instincts take over.

And that experience, was the single most incredible, and beautiful experience of my life. I had never felt so much passion and love for someone before, and it was perfect.

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><p><strong><em>Cute, huh? xD Let me know what you think in the reviews please!<em>**


	13. Rise And Shine

_**Yes, I know it's really ridiculously short but I got stuck, okay? And to make up for the fact that it's so short, I'm going to write another chapter to upload tonight. Love me. Also, to say sorry for rejecting this story so badly, I'm going to dran myself and upload a chapter every single day for you lovely people. And if I miss a day, I will upload TWO the next daa. So this story will probably be finished by November 3rd. Don't worry, I have every chapter planned out, so no writers block! And I can't wait for you to read it all. AHHHH. **_

_**As always, reviews would be fucking sweet. It let's me know what you think of the story which is SOOOO important to me. Love you all!**_

**Chapter 13 – Rise and Shine**

"Good morning, Gee," Skye's soft voice greeted me as my eyes fluttered open after a peaceful night's sleep. We were both lying on the same couch as we had…y'know…last night, wrapped in nothing but a blanket that was originally draped over the back of the couch. Skye was pressed up against me, her head lying on my chest whilst my arms cradled her.

"Good morning, beautiful," I replied, with a sleepy smile. She looked up at me through her long eyelashes, her blue eyes shining bright, and smiled. And it nearly killed me.

"Did you sleep okay?" she asked.

"I slept very well, thank you," I said with hidden meaning behind every letter. She giggled and laid her head back on my chest.

We were lying in the same position for at least another hour in blissful silence. My mind was racing with thoughts about last night, which was probably a dangerous thing to do. I mean, I didn't want to…um…get aroused but it was just so perfect… I never thought sex would be anything like that. I don't think she did, either. It wasn't just sex for us, it was more like love making. Yes, I know that sounds ridiculously cheesy but it's the best way to describe it, okay? I was so worried that I'd hurt her, or that I'd do something wrong, but she was smiling her beautifully bright smile the whole time, which is reassuring.

In the position I was in, I could see out of the front window, and onto the road in front of the house. Luckily, I had been staring out of it, and actually noticed that Skye's parents were pulling into the drive.

"Um, Skye…your parents are home." She jumped up quickly, looking out of the window. Sure enough, her parents were unloading their suitcases from the boot of their shiny, black and extremely expensive car.

"SHIT!" she shouted, jumping up, taking the blanket with her. I instantly jumped up and started to grab my clothes from around the couch and covering my junk before running up the stairs and into Skye's bedroom, just as her parents walked in the door. Skye had just enough time to run upstairs with me, slamming her door shut. She turned around to face me so quickly, that she didn't realise I was so close, and she ran into me, pushing me down onto the floor and falling with me.

Both of us just stared at each other, not knowing what to say. And then, at exactly the same time, we burst out into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Let's be honest, the situation was fucking hilarious.

She stood up, still giggling, and started to raid her closet for something to wear. Whilst we both got changed, I kept glancing over at her, and each time she was smiling at me. It was clear that the two of us had never been so happy.


	14. The Question

**Chapter 14 – The Question**

"Skye, honey, you're going to be late for your interview if you don't get up soon," I shook her gently, her sparkling eyes fluttering open. Six years had passed since we had got together in that strange summer of '95. In that time, both Skye and I had gone to college. I went to art school, studying comic book drawing whilst she had gone somewhere different, studying business. She had always wanted to have her own business. We moved into a flat together that was in between our two different colleges, so we didn't have to move away from each other, and neither of us had to travel very far.

When we finished college, we both went job hunting. I got an interview with Cartoon Network in New York, and eventually got the job. Skye unfortunately wasn't so lucky. She had had a string of interviews, all of which turned out to be a dead end. I was praying today was going to be different. It wasn't fair. She needed her lucky break, just like everyone else.

She grunted at me, obviously not wanting to move. I rolled her over, so she was lying on her back and straddled her waist. She opened one eye to see what I was doing, and smirked. I leaned down and started to kiss her neck and collarbone. Before she could get used to the feeling of my lips pressing against her skin, I got up, and started to walk away into the kitchen.

"HEY! THAT IS SO NOT FAIR!" she shouted after me, "COME BACK!" I smiled and ignored her. Big mistake. The next thing I know, she had run at me, and jumped on my back.

"You're crazy, bitch!" I shouted, spinning around to get her off me. She laughed, jumping off of me and going into the bathroom, undoubtedly to shower. I thought I'd be super nice to her this morning and make her favourite breakfast; chocolate chip pancakes with strawberry sauce and a hot, strong, black coffee. When she walked out of the bathroom, her hair damp and her body wrapped in a towel, her eyes lit up.

"I thought I could smell my favourite! Thank you, baby," she kissed my cheek and sat down opposite me at the table.

"I just want today to be _your_ day. You deserve this job more than anyone." She looked at me as if to say 'awwwwwwww'. We continued the morning as we normally would. She went and did her hair and make-up, I packed my bag ready for a day of drawing at a desk. She got dressed, I got dressed (with a quick make out session in the middle, which wasn't an everyday occurrence but not a rarity either). I went to get the ferry, and so did she, which was new. She's never got the ferry with me before, but her interview was at the same time that I started work, so it only made sense that she came with me.

When the ferry docked, we got off together, and said our goodbyes.

"Good luck, Skye. I know you'll get this job. Go make me proud, sweetie," I held her chin between my thumb and first finger, and dipped my head to kiss her sweetly.

"I'll do my best. See you later," she turned away and began to walk towards her interview. I watched her walk off, smiling to myself and silently praying that today was the day she'd get the job she wanted.

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><p>"You guys have been together for like, six years now. I haven't had a relationship that's lasted six weeks…" Frank complained to me. We were sat back in my apartment after I had finished work, having a coffee and a catch up. Yeah, guys do that too…<p>

I laughed at Frank's complaint, and said "yeah, everything's going pretty well. She's in New York at the moment though for an interview. I thought they would have been done by now, but clearly not."

"Maybe they're giving her a tour of the building or something. It is a pretty huge building…"

"Seriously? I thought it was the smallest building in New York! Thanks, Captain Obvious," I joked. He playfully punched my arm.

"So, six years…Do you not get bored of sleeping with the same girl for six whole years?"

"Shut the fuck up, dude! That's my girlfriend you're shit-talking! And no, not really…you find new ways to make it interesting all the time. Plus when you ACTUALLY love the girl, my dear Frankie, it's a bit different."

"How would you know? You've only ever slept with Skye." I looked at him, mock-irritation plastered across my face. "I'm only kidding, man. You know what I think?" I gave him a look that said 'I don't care, but you're gonna tell me anyway', and he continued, "I think you should totally ask her to marry you.

"You do? Jeez…I'd thought about it. Well, if I'm being honest, I have been thinking about it a lot recently. I do want to spend the rest of my life with her…But would a piece of paper really change anything? Are we not just perfect the way we are now?" I'd never understood the significance of marriage.

"I bet you any money that she wants to marry you. Every woman wants a wedding. Not necessarily a marriage, just that one special day where she can dress up in a big white frilly dress and parade down the aisle saying "look at me, aren't I gorgeous?". Women totally eat that shit up. For some reason, the idea of marriage is something every woman wants so much more than men."

Was that true? Did she want to marry me just to have a wedding? Did she even want to marry me at all? For some reason, the idea of vowing to be each other's for the rest of our lives really appealed to me. Maybe I should ask her to marry me…

**_Another chapter. Aren't you lucky? ;) Review please!_**


	15. Diamonds Are Forever

**_Another short chapter, but trust me, it starts getting interesting in the next one..._  
><strong>

**Chapter 15 – Diamonds Are Forever**

In the short discussion Frank and I were having about marriage, I had made a snap decision. I was going to ask her to marry me. In fact, I was going to get her a ring today. Now, in fact.

"Frank, can you come with me to get her a ring?" I asked.

"What, an engagement ring?" he looked shocked. I nodded. "When do you want to go?"

"Now."

"Um…okay…" he looked taken a back, but downed the rest of his coffee and picked up his jacket as I got my keys. "Are you sure about this?"

"Dead sure. I have a load of money saved up in the bank that she doesn't know about. I really want to do this." He nodded, and we walked out of the apartment block, talking about anything and everything.

* * *

><p>When we walked into the jewellers, and were confronted by an intimidating mass of gold, silver and jewels. Every piece of jewellery you could ever imagine was lined up in glass cabinets, neatly displayed under bright lamps. The endless amounts of rubies, sapphires, diamonds, amethysts and every other colourful rock you could think of gleamed, almost as if they were showing off to me, pleading for me to buy them.<p>

"How can I help you fine gentlemen?" the man behind the till greeted us. He was middle aged, maybe 40, with greying hair and wrinkles beginning to form on his forehead. He looked like your typical antiques expert, wearing a blue sweater vest and white shirt, with a red bow tie and black slacks.

"I'm looking for an engagement ring for my girlfriend." He nodded in understanding and beckoned us over to a cabinet in the corner of the store.

"This is where we keep the engagements rings. Do you have any idea of what kind of ring your partner would like?"

"Not at all…" I admitted. She was never really into jewellery. But I guess she never wore gold stuff, just silver. "Something silver. Gold isn't really her style." He nodded.

"What kind of stone?" I looked over all of the silver rings trying to figure out which one she'd like the best.

"Frank, what do you think she'd like?" He studied the rings in the same way I had.

"A diamond one, I think. I don't know which one though. You pick." The diamond rings were pretty nice…

And then I saw it.

The perfect ring.

It was silver, obviously, and had a large, circular diamond in the middle, with smaller ones surrounding it. It looked expensive, but I didn't care. It was gorgeous. And not too much, either. Not like the kind of thing a pimp would buy for his crack whore. This was elegant.

"That one…" I said, pointing at the ring. The jeweller unlocked the cabinet and took out the ring, handing it to me to look at. He waffled on about karats and other shit that I didn't care about until I interrupted, "I'll take it."

"A fine choice, sir. She is one lucky lady!"

"Nah, I'm the lucky one," I smiled as he took the ring from me, and put it in a blue velvet box. I paid for it, and walked home with Frank with a spring in my step.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Gee! I'm home!" Skye sang as she walked in the front door.<p>

"Hey! How did it go?" I asked, hoping for good news.

"It went fantastically! The boss liked me so much, that she took me out for lunch and gave me a tour of the parts of the building I would need to know. I got the job!" I jumped up from the sofa and hugged her, lifting her off the floor.

"I knew you'd get it!" I out her back down and kissed her, the only thing I could think of doing to show my love and pride for her. She put both of her hands on my chest and started to push me backwards, our lips never separating, until we were in the bedroom. She kicked the door shut behind her, and pushed me down onto the bed. Well, I suppose you can guess what happened next, right?


	16. Bang

_**Sorry this had to wait until tonight. I was run off my feet last night. Happy Belated Halloween. Another chapter will be up tonight to make up for it.**_

_**Don't hate me too much for this.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 16 – Bang<strong>

A month had passed since I bought that ring, and it still wasn't on her finger. It was still hidden in my sock drawer. I was too chicken to ask her. I mean, what if she said no? I couldn't handle that… And there had just never been the right time, either. She was so busy with her new job; we hadn't had any spare time together to go out and do anything, or plan an occasion where I could ask her. It was beginning to piss me off.

So this one particular morning, Skye was going to work early. She said she had some paperwork that needed doing, and she'd have to leave early. Well, considering I was awake before her, I decided to wake her up.

"Skye, baby, if you wanna be early today you'll have to get up pretty soon," I said in a low tone. She grunted and smiled, opening her eyes to look at me. I smiled back at her, and she turned her head to check the time.

"I still have some time," she smirked and leaned in to kiss me, rolling me onto my back and straddling my hips, our lips never disconnecting. And well, you can guess what happened next…

* * *

><p>At breakfast, I decided that I would surprise Skye at work. I'd take some flowers, some wine and the ring… It had to be soon. Today just seemed like an ordinary day that could do with some spicing up with a bit of drama, so why not with a marriage proposal?<p>

Skye had already left for work an hour ago, and now it was my turn to go. I picked up my bag full of brand new art supplies, my wallet, keys and my cell phone, and headed out of the door to catch my ferry.

* * *

><p>I stood out on the deck, watching as we slowly pulled away from the harbour to cross the river. Tuesdays were always busy days in New York, so it was no surprise to me to see that the ferry was bustling with businessmen and women, tourists and workers.<p>

The summer air was warm on my face. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, so the sun was beating down on New York hotter than usual. I didn't know what time it was, exactly, but it was around 8:30am. Children would be going to school. Business' opening for the day.

I'll be honest, today seemed like a fantastic day. I was feeling optimistic about the proposal, glad to finally be doing it!

I leaned on the barrier at the edge of the boat, watching as New York grew closer and closer. I always loved the commute to work.

Then my heart stopped. Just for one beat, as the loudest bang I had ever heard made my whole body shake with fear. I regained composure and looked around for the source of the sound, and saw a plume of thick, black smoke rising from the tallest buildings in New York.

The World Trade Centre.


	17. 9-11 Part One

**Chapter 17 – 9/11 Part One**

My first thought was, of course, shock. What the fuck had happened?

People all over the boat rushed to one side to see the devastation that was coating the blue September sky with thick, black smoke. And then a thought occurred to me.

Skye works at the World Trade Centre.

I couldn't remember which tower.

I pulled out my cell phone and dialled her number. She picked up after a few short rings.

"OH THANK GOD! Skye are you okay?" I panicked.

"Yeah, I'm fine douchebag. It hit the other tower. A bit shaken, but I'll live." _It hit the other tower…_

"What do you mean? What hit the tower?" I asked, confused.

"A fucking jet plane! At least, that's what people are saying." I was still confused.

"Skye, get out of there. Please. I don't want you anywhere near that."

"There really is nothing to worry about, Gerard. We've been told we're safe, not to worry and go back to work. It's the people in the other tower that I'm worried about. How are the fire fighters' hoses going to reach up there?" She had a point. They'd never reach…Those poor people that were trapped above the fire…

"Skye please get out of there. Take your break or something. Please. I just don't have a good feeling about this…"

"Well no, it's a horrific accident. People are going to die in that tower. It's so tragic. I have to go, my boss needs me. Talk later honey, bye!" Before I could say anything, she had hung up.

None of this made any sense. How could a jet plane _accidentally _fly into the tallest building in Manhattan? That doesn't happen. Was the pilot on crack or something? Either that or this was no accident…

The sounds of sirens filled the air. Ambulances, fire trucks and police cars raced towards the scene of the incident. I could see the blue and red lights flashing on the mainland.

People on the boat were talking. They were all talking. I couldn't hear myself think. I was becoming more and more stressed as the minutes went by. I don't even know why. Skye was safe.

Some time passed by. I say some because I wasn't sure exactly. The sound of sirens hadn't ceased. The smoke was still rising. The fire still burning. But the sight of the desperately struggling on floors unreachable was horrendous. People were hanging out of windows, presumably gasping for air after being choked by the smoke. Some of them were waving rags, trying to get people's attention so they could be rescued, but nothing could be done. But the one sight that will forever stick with me as being the most tragic thing I have ever seen was that the extremely desperate were jumping. Actual, human people were jumping from around a hundred floors off the ground. There was no chance of survival for them. They must have known that. But they were so desperate to not burn or choke to death, that in their last moment they chose to fly.

You could hear each body hitting the ground with a faint thud. Every faint thud meant one more life.

My phone started to ring. It was Skye.

"Skye? Are you okay?" I was still staring at the tragedy in front of me. I couldn't take my eyes off the destruction, like when you're scared of a spider, and you have to watch it in case it moves so you don't lose it.

"I love you."

"I love you too, baby. So much."

"People are jumping, Gerard."

"I know. I can see them, honey. Don't look. Don't watch it."

"I can't help it."

"Neither can I." We both went quiet. I guess we were both watching.

I could hear a low hum, like an engine above my head. Like a jet engine...I looked up, and saw a jet plane flying ridiculously low. I knew this had to be it.

"GET UNDER A FUCKING DESK, NOW! DON'T ASK ME QUESTIONS, JUST DO IT!" I shouted down the phone. I heard her scrambling on the floor, doing as I had said.

That's when the second plane hit the World Trade Centre.


	18. 9-11 Part Two

_**This is the first chapter I've written that made me cry. I'm sorry. **_

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><p><strong>Chapter 18 – 911 Part Two**

I watched in horror as the plane flew into the side of the building. A huge mass of flames, debris and smoke exploded out of the impact zone. I could hear Skye screaming on the other end of the phone, along with her co-workers. I heard glass shattering, debris falling and people crying out. I had never heard something so horrendous.

Then things went quiet. Things stop falling, people stopped screaming. All I could hear was heavy breathing, and people sobbing quietly in the background.

"Skye?" Tears pricked at my eyes and strained my voice. "Skye? Are you still there? Baby talk to me…"

"I'm here," she whispered, almost as if she was hiding from something.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Not really. Just a couple of cuts."

"Are you below or above the floors that the plane hit?" I prayed she was below. Please. Let her get out of there.

"A few floors below." I let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God. Okay, Skye I need you to get out of there now. As fast as you can. Then come to the harbour. Stay on the phone, I need to know you're okay." I heard her crawl out from under her desk and begin to run. "Take it easy though, sweetheart. I don't want you falling down the stairs or something." I knew the elevators would be out of service. A bloody great plane had just taken out a chunk of the tower. No doubt the elevator shaft was fucked.

"Son, is are you okay?" a middle aged woman on the boat asked me, placing her hand lightly on my back. I looked at her in shock. She shouldn't be caring about me. I wasn't in the towers.

"I'm a little on edge, sorry Ma'am. My girlfriend is in the tower that was just hit. She's getting out though." She looked at me sympathetically.

"Gerard?" Skye caught my attention back on the phone. She sounded concerned.

"What's wrong sweetie?" If she's stuck I swear to God…

"There's a woman here. She's in a really bad way. People are just running past her. I can't leave her alone, Gerard…" Fuck.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's badly burnt. Her face and arm are black from the fire. She must have been closer to the impact zone."

"Okay help her up, take her with you." I heard her walking, then faintly talking to her. She sounded distraught. She was crying - that much was obvious - and moaning in pain.

"It's okay; I'm going to help you. I'll do whatever I can to get you out." She reassured the woman. I heard Skye attempt to pick her up, but the woman cried out in pain. "I'm sorry, oh God I'm so sorry…" she apologised as she put her down again. "I'll find you something for the burn."

I heard Skye rushing off into another room, and taking off her jacket. There was running water. She was soaking the jacket… She's so fucking clever. She rushed off again, back to the woman.

"Okay, this is going to sting a little but it'll sooth the burning." There was a horrifying sizzle as she placed the jacket over the woman. She screamed out a little, and then went quiet again, breathing heavily. "We have to keep moving. Everyone is being evacuated." I heard them fumbling around again, and then they started to move.

"Is she okay, dear?" The middle aged woman asked me.

"Yeah, she's helping out an injured woman. They're on the move now."

"She sounds like quite the hero!"

"Yeah, she's saved my life plenty of times too…" The lady smiled at me and rubbed my back.

"FUCK!" I heard Skye shout.

"What? What is it?" I turned back to the phone.

"The emergency stairwell is out. There's so much rubble and some small fires…Gerard we're trapped…" No. No, she wasn't trapped. She was fine. She was going to get out.

Skye started crying as I heard her sit down in defeat.

"Skye, listen to me; there has to be a fire extinguisher somewhere. If you can find one, then you can put the fires out and moves the rubble. Please baby, you've got to try." I heard her get up, telling the injured woman to stay where she was. She picked something up, and went back. I heard a spraying of an extinguisher, and a little hope was restored.

Skye then shouted out a string of profanities and threw the extinguisher to one side.

"What is it?" I asked, panicked again.

"It ran out before I could get the last two fires… Face it Gerard; I'm not getting out of here." She sounded so defeated. She'd given up. "I love you, Gerard."

"Don't you dare. You WILL get out."

"If I don't though, it's important you know that. I love you so much. I was so ready to spend the rest of my life with you…God, I was such an idiot to you growing up. I am so fucking sorry I just…I don't even know why I was like that."

"You don't need to apol-"

"I think I do," she cut me off, "because I put you through hell. I guess this is karma, huh?" She laughed nervously and sniffed, holding back the tears that were straining her voice. Tears started to spill over my cheeks as it finally hit me that I may not see the woman I loved again. I looked up at the two burning building. More people were jumping. I saw a couple jumping together, holding hands as they fell.

"Fuck, I love you so much, Skye."

"I know you do, Gee."

"No but…Oh God, why today? Why'd you go in early today? Why didn't I do it sooner? Jesus fucking Christ!" I cried out. The middle aged woman who had my hand on my back was looking at me, concerned. Other people around the boat were starting to stare.

"Didn't do what sooner?" She asked.

"I was going to surprise you on my lunch break. I was going to come to your office with flowers, and a bottle of wine, and I was going to propose. I was going to ask you to marry me…" The sobs that escaped my lips took over as I couldn't say anymore.

"That's so sweet," she said, "I would have said yes. I want to marry you. I want to have kids with you. I want to get old with you. I want a life with you." She was sobbing heavily too now. "If I survive this, we will get married, and we'll have whatever kind of life you want. I promise."

"You will survive. Of course you'll survive. And we'll do everything that you just said. We'll get married. We'll have kids. We'll get old together and we will share a life together." I heard voices on the other end of the phone. Male voices. Very faintly, but they were there…

_Hello? Is someone up there? We're from the New York Fire Department. Shout to us if you can, or make some kind of noise if you can hear us._

"Shout, baby! Shout to them!" I said to Skye. She did.

"YEAH! YEAH WE'RE UP HERE! ONE OF US IS BADLY BURNT! PLEASE, HELP US!" I heard rubble moving. Stone and glass, scraping across the floor and falling down the stairs. Skye sighed in relief as the male voices grew closer, until they were loud and clear.

"It's okay, we've got you now," one of them said. I smiled to myself. She was going to get out.

"Gerard, I'm on my way out now. Do you want me to stay on the phone?"

"Yeah, please. I just want to know that you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine. So did you really mean all of that stuff you said back there?"

"Of course! The second I see you I'm giving you that engagement ring." I looked down as I shuffled my feet, smiling. I could hear a distant rumbling. "What's that rumbling?" I asked, as I looked up towards the towers again. The tower Skye was in was collapsing… No. NO!

Then I heard the worst thing I had heard all day.

Skye was screaming.

The injured woman was screaming.

The fire fighters were screaming.

And then the line went dead.

People around me gasped. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. What I could only assume was smoke and debris filled the gaps in between buildings. If you've ever poured milk into water, you'll know what it looked like, because that's exactly how it looked. I stared in horror for god knows how long.

As the smoke cleared, you could clearly see that it wasn't just a portion of the building that had fallen off like people around me had first thought. The whole building was just gone, and Skye along with it.

And just like the tower, I collapsed. Still conscious, I fell to the floor, staring out in front of me. The middle aged lady knelt down beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. She had guessed what was wrong. I sat there and cried as people crowded around me, looks of worry on people's faces. Someone put a coat around my shoulders. Someone else put a glass of water by my side, but I just couldn't stop staring. I couldn't say a word. Tears ran freely down my face.

I didn't look up when I heard the familiar rumbling sound. I already knew that the second tower was crumbling. I didn't need to see it to know. People's reactions were the same as they were before. For me, I was reliving the first tower's collapse. Skye's scream was echoing around my head.

The boat I was on was headed towards New York, still. When we docked, it was clear that we were now a rescue boat, as were many others that had turned up. Anything that floated was being used to get people out of the city, away from the deadly debris clouds that were engulfing the streets of Manhattan. I sat on the end of one of the benches, staring and crying.

I had lost her. Skye was most certainly dead, with that much rubble falling on her. And then of course the impact when she hit the ground. The woman I loved was dead. I would never get to give her the ring. I would never get to see her walk down the aisle. I would never get to see the look on her face when she saw our first child for the first time. I would never see her again…

People around me were on the phone. Everyone seemed to be on their cell phones. Some were quitting work. Some were calling their families. Some were asking their girlfriends and boyfriends to marry them. Some were confessing things to others. Some were telling their long term crushes how they felt. Some were asking people out on dates.

As I looked back at the New York skyline, covered in smoke and now without its two tallest buildings, I realised something that I hadn't believed to be true in years.

This world was extremely fucking dark.

When I got home, I ignored all the calls I was getting. I switched off my phone, and went into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey from the fridge. I then walked into the bedroom, opened up the wardrobe and picked out one of Skye's shirts. I sat up against the headboard of the bed we had shared, clutching the shirt that still smelt of her perfume, as all of her clothes did, and began to drink. I cried for hours. I sobbed. I screeched. I shouted. I screamed. I grieved until I couldn't stay conscious. I fell asleep, clutching an empty bottle of whiskey and her shirt, and dreamt of all the special times we'd shared.

I dreamt about our first kiss. I dreamt about our first time. I dreamt about the day we moved in together. I dreamt about the days out we'd had.

And I was happy in each of the memories. Oh God, I was so fucking happy.


End file.
